Card index system



Nov. 29, 1932.

D,A.CASEY CARD INDEX SYSTEM 4 She ts-Sheet 1 Filed April 17, 1930 WK NNov. 29, 1932. D. A. CASEY CARD INDEX SYSTEM Filed April 17, 1930 4Sheets-Sheet 2 new ' Nov. 29, 1932. CASEY CARD INDEX SYSTEM Filed April17, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 29, 1932. D. A. CASEY CARD INDEX SYSTEMFiled April 17, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3H ucnfot DEN/1N5 A C/qsEv dffonwqPatented Nov. 29, 1932 PATENT OFFICE DENNIS A. CASEY, OF NEW ORLEANS,LOUISIANA CARD INDEX SYSTEK Application fled April 17, 1830. Serial No.445,082.

This invention relates to card filing or index systems and moreparticularly to means for selecting a desired card from a group of filedcards, and is an improvement on my pending application filed February19, 1929, and bearing Serial No. 341,111. I

One of the primary objects of my invention is the provision of novelmeans for quickly and accurately locating the desired card in the groupof filed cards by the manipulation of suitable selectivekey bars inconjunctionv with means including a movable member for tilting thedesired card to an angle relative to the other cards.

Another salient object of this mventlon is the provision of a casing forreceiving the filed cards, with movable master key bars and racks forsupporting the cards in the easing and selective key bars movable intoslots in the lower edge of a certain card for permitting the segregationof said card, so that the same can be conveniently and quickly removedfrom the casing. I

A further important object of my invention is the provision of a cardfiling and selecting system comprising a casing having mounted therein apair of master key bars and racks for supporting the cards. a pluralnity of selective key bars to accord with the letters of the alphabet andfor engaging in predetermined slots cut in certain of the cards withnovel means operating in direct conjunction with the master key bars foract ing upon a card selected to swing the same to a position above theother cards whereby the same can be readily seen and withdrawn by theoperator.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of novelmeans for operating the master key bars and the cardlifting means, saidmeans embodying a handoperated shaft having a cam on one end thereof forrocking the card-swinging means and a sleeve or hollow shaft on theoperating shaft for actuating? the master key bars in timed relatiofifii the cam.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of novel meansfor operating the card racks directly from the master key bars forfacilitating the raising of the cards w1thout the accidental ti pingthereof A still further object o? my invention is'to generally1 improveand simplify the construction as s own in my pending application and tobring about the desired results in a more facile and expeditious manner.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will behereinafter more specifically described, claimed and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view ofmy improved card index and selector device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same showing the device in its firstposition after operat on of the master key bars.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the second position of myimproved 7 0 device, with certain selective key bars raised.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectionthrough my improved device taken on theline 44 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and showingthe position of the selec- 7 tive key bars after the second operation.

Figure 5 is a transverse section through my improved device on the line5-5 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows in the sameposition as Figure 4. c

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the improved device taken onthe line 66 of Figure 5 showing the position of the selective bars afterthe second operation.

- Figure 7 is a side elevation of my improved 85 device showing partsthereof broken awa and in section and illustrating the third position ofthe key bars and operating cam with the master key bars lowered and theselective key bars remaining in their raised position.

Figure 8 is a transverse section through my improved device taken on theline 8-8 of Figure 7 looking in the direction of the arrowsOillustratingthe third position of the keys.

Figure 9 is a section similar to Figure 8 illustrating the fourthoperative position and showing the selected card swung to its tiltedposition to be easily grasped by the operator. 1

Figure is a detail horizontal section illustrating the arrangement ofthe master key bars and the card-swinging device.

igure 11 is a detail transverse section through the operating and hollowshaft taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a detail perspective view illustrating the left-hand rearcorner of the device and showing the connection between one of the cardrack bars and one of the master key bars.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter A generally indicates my improved device which comprises asuitable casing or the like 15 for a plurality of filing cards 0, whichwill be later more specifically described,

go The casing 15 for receiving the cards 0 is of an elongated characterand of such a shape as to permit the cards to be placed thereintransversely and the same includes a base frame including side plates 16and 17 which may be provided with depending feet or the like 19 at theends thereof. The front ends of the side plates 16 and 17 have connectedthereto in any preferred way the front transversely extendingcross-plate 20 and the rear ends of the side plates have secured theretothe rear wall or plate 21 which extends a considerable distance abovethe side plates 16 and 17. The upper edge of the front plate 20 can havesecured thereto a front wall 22 which may terminate in the samehorizontal plane as the rear wall 21. The front plate 20 supports theforwardly extending substantially U-shaped guard bar 23 for the keyboard which will be later described.

A transversely extending guide and rest bar 24 is connected with theside plates 16 and 17 and is arranged adjacent to the rear wall 21, fora purpose which will be later more fully set forth.

The operating mechanism embodies a. pair of longitudinally extendingmaster key bars indicated respectively by the reference characters 25and 26 and these key bars rest adjacent to their rear ends on the crossguide and rest bar 24. The rear ends of the master keybars 25 and 26 areprovided with depending lugs 27 having front inclined faces 28 forriding up on the guide and rest bar 24 as will be later brought out. Theforward ends of the master key bars 25 and 26 are connected by means ofpivot pins 29 with cranks 3O rigidly secured to the hollow shaft 31which is rotatably mounted on the transversely extending operating shaft32. This shaft 32 has its opposite ends rotatably mounted in suitablebearings carried by the side plates 16 and 17 of the base and one end ofthe operating shaft 32 has formed thereon a hand crank 33 for permittingthe turning of this shaft,

but any desired operating member can be substituted for the crank. Theopposite end of the operatin shaft 32 has secured thereto a cam orhalf-w eel 34 for operating the cardsw ngm device 35, which will belater described in detail. It is to be noted that the hollow shaft 31 isprovided at spaced points with transversely extending substantiallysemi-circular slots 36, through which protrude operating pins 37 for thesaid hollow shaft 31. These pins are carried directly by the operatinshaft 32 and the arrangement of the pins 3 and the slots 36 is such thata partial revolution of the operating shaft 32 is permitted before theturning of the hollow shaft 31 and the consequent operation of themaster key bars. It is to be noted, however, that when the shaft 31 isturned in a clockwise directionfrom the crank end the master key barswill be swung forwardly and upwardly and that the rear ends thereof willride up on the rear guide and rest bar 24 consequently raising the saidmaster key bars above the selective key bars 38, which form an importantpart of the present invention.

The selective key bars 38 likewise extend longitudinally of the casingand are arranged in spaced parallel relation to one another and to themaster key bars 25 and 26. There is preferably provided a selective keyfor each letter of the alphabet and these selective keys may be arrangedin any preferred alignment or way to permit the convenient operationthereof, similar to the arrangement of the key bars of a typewriter.

The forward ends of the selective key bars 38 extend through suitableguide slots formed in the front plate 20 of the base 15 and the rearends of the key bars may be rockably mounted on suitable links, or asshown the same can be provided with depending lugs 39 having frontbeveled faces 40 for riding up on the guide and rest bar 24 when thesame are pulled forwardly. The key bars 38 are pulled forwardly andraised by means of links 41 which are rockably mounted intermediatetheir ends on a suitable pivot pin 42 carried by supporting cars 43formed on or secured to the front frame plate 20. The upper rear ends ofthe links are connected by means of pivot pins 44 to key bars 38 and theinner forward ends of the links 41 are connected by means of links 45with their respective key levers 46. The key levers 46 extend through asuitable opening 20' in the front wall 20 of the base and are rockablymounted on a transversely extending pivot pin 47. The forward ends ofthe key levers 46 are provided with finger portions or keys 48 whichbear the letter of the alphabet or number which they represent. By thisconstruction, it can be seen that when a key lever is operated, itscorresponding selective key bar will be raised above the level of theother key bars and master bars, providing the same have not already beenoperated.

Referring to the filing cards C, it 1s to be noted that the same can bemade of thin eard-' eating numbers can also be placed on the lower edgeof the cards to agree with the indicating numbers on the key bars.

If the cards are to be selected according to the names of personsthereon slots 51 are cut in the lower edge of the cards directly underthe letters spelling the name of the person on the card and thus whenthese key bars are selected the same can ride into the cut out slots. I

I prefer to reinforce the top edges of the cards by suitable thinreinforcing strips 52 which can be formed of sheet metal and it can beseen that these reinforcing strips 52 can extend beyond one upper cornerof each card and that the opposite end of the reinforcing strip likewiseextends beyond the card and is provided with a downturned foot 53. Thecorner of each card inward of the foot 53 is provided with an enlargedcut-out notch 54:.

The ends of the reinforcing strips 52 form means for engaging thelongitudinally extending upper supporting or card rack bars 55 and 56and these supporting card rack bars 55 and 56 operate in conjunctionwith the master key bars 25 and 26 for raising all of the cards atpredetermined times as will-be later described.

The ends of the rack bars 55 and 56 have rigidly secured theretodepending slide bars 57 the lower ends of which are provided with feet58 which are adapted to be engaged by the master key bars and these feetnormally rest on the upper edge of said master key bars. The slide bars57 can be mounted in suitable guides for vertical sliding movement andin the present instance I have shown the same provided with guide slots59 through which extend guide pins 60 carried respectively by the frontand rear walls 22 and 21 of the casing. The card rack 55 and 56 can beconnected together by cross bars 61.

Now referring to the mechanism 35 for swinging a selected card at anangle to the other filed cards for permitting the convenient graspingthereof by the operator and which operates in conjunction with the cam34, the same embodies a longitudinally .extending rock shaft 65 mountedin suitable hearings in the front and rear frame plates 20 and 21. Thisshaft 65 has formed thereon the crank arm 66 which is provided at itsupper end with the laterally extending operating arm. 67 which overhangsthe cam 34. This operating arm 67 is normall held in engagement with theperiphery o the cam 34 by a suitable tension spring 68. Connected withthe rock shaft 65 and swinging therewith is the longitudinal operatingrod 69 egnnected with the rock shaft by crank arms The cards are filedin the case transversely and in view of the novel card selectormechanism the same do not have to be filed alphabetically or in anypredetermined arrangement, and in order to prevent the cards fromtilting forwardly or backwardly, the cardsupporting rack bars'55 and 56can be provided with upstanding pins 71 arrange in the path of thereinforcing strips 52. Like wise in order to insure the proper movementof these card-supporting rack bars 55 and 56, the same can be providedwith forwardly and rearwardly extending guide eyes 72 receiving guidepins 73 rigidly secured to the front and rear walls 22 and 21.

The device is now ready for operation and any card can be readilyselected. For the purpose of illustration, should the card for D. Caseybe desired to be removed from the case the device would be operated inthe following manner. turned which rocks the hollow shaft 31 raising themaster key bars 25 and 26 and consequently moving all of the cards to araised position. The desired key bars 38 are operated from the keylevers and the keys corresponding to the notches or slots cut in thebottom of the D. Casey card, which will raise these key bars to the sameheight as the master key bars. The crank 33 is now turned back to thefirst position to lower the master key bars and the card having thenotches cut thereincorresponding to the raised selective key bars willmove to a lowered position, while the other cards will still be held intheir raised position by the same engaging the raised selective keybars. Thus the D. Casey card is segregated or selected from the othergroup of cards and in order to permit the easy and convenient graspingthereof by the operator the crank is again turned in the first directionwhich will initially turn the cam 34 swinging the crank 66 and itsoperating arm 67 inwardly and then raising the master key bars 25 and26. The continued movement of the rock shaft 65 will swing the rod 69inwardly into the notched lower right-hand corners (Figures 8 and 9) 75,of the lowermost segregated card and upon further movement of the rod 69the same will push down on this corner of the card while the master keybars raise the same to a tilted position shown in Figure 9 of thedrawings. The card can then be quickly removed.

The crank can now be returned to its normal position so that the masterbars will be lowered and the selective key bars can be The crank 33 isinitially moved back to a normal position by the manual pulling up onthe key levers, or as shown, a clearing bar 80 can be provided for thispur ose.

T e clearing bar 80 extends transversely across the front end of themachine and is pivotally secure'd to supporting brackets 80' carried bythe front wall 20 and thus it is obvious that upon pushing down on theclearing bar that the same will engage the key levers and swing the sameto their lowered position. The clearing bar can again be raised to itsnormal position above the said key bars.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have rovided anovel device for selecting any deslred filed card from a group of cardsin a file case.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or thescope of this invention, but 1- What I claim as new is:

1. In a device for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards,a casing for receiving the group of filed cards, a pair of master keybars movable in the casing for raising all of the filed cardssimultaneously, a plurality of selective key bars movable 1n the casing,and means for tilting a selected card.

2. In a device for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards,the combination with a casing having longitudinally extending master keybars, a plurality of selective key bars extending in spaced parallelrelation to the master key bars, and independent means for actuatingeach selective key bar,

means for simultaneously raising and lowering both of the master keybars, of a plurality of cards adapted to be received within the case andto normally rest upon all of the key bars, having notches cut in thelower edges thereof at certain selective points to correspond to certainselective key bars, whereby upon raising of the master key bars all ofthe cards will be raised and whereby upon operation and raising movementof the desired selective key bars and upon lowering of the master keybars aselected card will be permitted to drop in a plane below the othercards, said other cards being held raised by the operated selective keybars, and means engaging the selected lowered card whereby to cooperatewith the master key bars in raising the same at an angle to the othercards to facilitate the grasping thereof by the operator.

3. In a device for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards,the combination with a casing, master key bars mounted in the casing formovement in vertical planes, a plurality of selective key bars mountedin the casing for movement in vertical planes, of a plurality of cardsreceived within the casing and resting upon the master key bars, wherebyupon raising movement of the master key bars all of the cards will beraised, said cards having notches cut in their lower edges at certainselected points to correspond to certain selective key bars, wherebywhen said selective key bars are raised and the master key bars arelowered, a selected card having notches corresponding to the raisedselective key bars will be lowered and the other cards will be heldraised thereby, means for independently operating each selective keybar, independent means for operating the master key ars, and means forengaging and tilting the selected card.

4. In a device for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards,the combination with a casing, master key bars mounted in the casing formovement in vertical planes, a plurality of selectivekey bars mounted inthe casing for movement in vertical planes, of a plurality of cardsreceived within the casing and resting upon the master key bars, wherebyupon raising movement of the master key bars all of the cards will beraised, said cards having notches cut in their lower edges at certainselected oints to correspond to certain selective key bars, whereby whensaid selective key bars are raised and the master key bars are lowered,a selected card having notches corresponding to the raised selective keybars will be lowered and the other cards will be held raised thereby,means for independently operating each selective key bar, independentmeans for operating the master ke bar, means for engaging and tiltingthe se ected card, and means for operating said card tilting means inconjunction with the raising and lowering of the master key bars.

5. In a device for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards,the combination with a casing, master key bars mounted in the casing formovement in vertical planes, a plurality of selective key bars mountedin the casing for movement in vertical planes, of a plurality of cardsreceived within the easing and resting upon the master key bars, wherebyupon upward movement of the master key bars all of the cards will'beraised, said cards having notches cut in the lower edges thereof atcertain selected points to correspond to certain selective key bars,whereby when said selective bars are raised and the master key bars arelowered, a selected card having notches cut therein to correspond to theraised selective key bars will be lowered and the other cards will beheld raised by said raised selective key bars, means for independentlyoperating each selective key bar, and means for operating the master keybars including a transversely extending shaft, means for operating theshaft, a hollow shaft rotatably mounted on the first shaft having slotstherein, pins carried by the first shaft extending through the slots forengaging the opposite end walls thereof, and

cranks carried by the hollow shaft and operativel connected to themaster key bars.

6. ll) a device for selecting a desired card from a. group of .filedcards, the combination with a casing, master key bars mounted in thecasing for movement in vertical planes, a plurality of selective keybars mounted in the casing for movement in vertical planes, of aplurality of cards received within'the casing and resting upon themaster key bars whereby upon upward movement of the master key bars allof the cards will be raised, said cards having notches cut in the loweredge thereof at certain selected points to correspond to certainselective key bars, whereby when said selective bars are raised and'themaster key bars are lowered, a selected card having notches out thereinto correspond to the raised selective key bars will be lowered and theother cards will be held raised by said raised selective key bars, meansfor independently operating each selective key bars, means for operatingthe master key bars including a hollow shaft rotatably mounted on thefirst shaft having slots therein, pins carried by the firstshaftextending through the slots for engaging the opposite end walls thereof,cranks carried by the hollow shaft and operatively connected to themaster key bars, and means for engaging and tilting the selected cardrelative to the other cards to facilitate the grasping of the selectedcard by the operator.

7. In a device for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards,the combination with a casing, master key bars mounted in the casing formovement in vertical planes, a plurality of selective key bars mountedin the casing for movement in vertical planes, of a plurality of cardsreceived within the casing and resting upon the master key bars, whereby upon upward movementof the master key. bars all of the cards will beraised, said cards having notches cut in the lower edges thereof atcertain selected points to correspond to certain selective key bars,whereby when said selective bars are raised and the master key bars arelowered, a selected card having notches cut therein to correspond to theraised selective key bars will be lowered and the other cards willbeheld raised by said raised selective key bars, means for independentlyoperating each selective key bars, means for operating the master keybars including a transversely extending shaft, means for operating theshaft, a hollow shaft rotatably mounted on the first shaft having slotstherein, pins carried by the first shaft extending through the slots forengaging the opposite end walls thereof, cranks carried by the hollowshaft and operatively-connected to the master key bars, means forengaging and tilting the selected card relative to the other cards, andmeans for operatin said card-tilting means from the first sha 8. In adevice for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards, thecombination of a casing, master key bars mounted in the casing formovement in vertical planes, a plurality of selective key bars mountedin the casing for movement in vertical planes, of a plurality of cardsreceived within the easing and resting upon the master key bars, wherebyupon upward movement of the master key bars all of the cards will beraised, said cards having notches cut in the lower edges thereofat'certain selected points to corres )ond to certain selective key bars,where y when said selective key bars are raised and the master key barsare lowered, a selected card having notches therein corresponding to theraised selective key bars will be lowered and the other cards will beheld raised by said selective key bars, means for independentlyoperating the selective key bars, means for operating the master keybars, including a transversely extending rotatable shaft, means forrotating the shaft, a hollow sleeve on the shaft having arcuate notchestherein, operating pins on the shaft received in the arcuate notches,crank arms on the sleeves operatively connected with the master keybars, a cam on the shaft, a longitudinally extending rockable shaft, acrank arm on said longitudinally extending rockable shaft having anoperating arm overlying the cam, spring means normally holding theoperating arm in engagement with the periphery of the cam, and anoperating rod carried by the rock shaft movable in the path of onecorner of a lowered card for tilting said card at an angle to the othercards to permit the convenient grasping thereof by the operator.

9. In a device for selecting a desired card from a group of filed cards,a casing having a plurality of longitudinally extending key barstherein, a guide and rest bar connected with the casing on which the keybars at the rear ends thereof are adapted to rest, the key bars havingdepending lugs provided with inclined leading edges for engaging therest bar, a swinging key lever for each key bar, a link rockably mountedintermediate its ends for each key lever and key bar, and meansoperatively connecting the opposite ends of the link to its respectivekey bar and key lever. v

10. In a device for selectinga desired card from a group of filed cards,the combination with a casing, master key bars mounted in the casing formovement in vertical planes, a plurality of selective key bars mountedin the casing for. movement in vertical planes, of a plurality of cardsreceived within the casing and resting upon the master key bars, wherebyupon upward movement of the master key bars all of the cards will beraised, said cards having notches cut in the lower edges thereof atcertain selected points to corre 0nd to certain selective key bars,where y when said mentioned selective key bars are raised and the masterkey bars are lowered to a selective card having notches cut in the loweredge thereof corresponding to the raised selective key bars, will elowered and the other cards will be held in a raised position by saidraised selective key bars, means for independently operating eachselective key bar, means for o crating the master key bars, each of thecar s having areinforcing strip at its upper longitudinal edge extendingbeyond its side edges, card-supporting rack bars movable with the masterey bars en a in under the extended terminals of the rem orcmg strips ofsaid cards.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DENNIS A. CASEY.

